Seismic tests have been done and drilling of exploratorywells is likely to begin next year, so Russia does not want any radiation hazard to overshadow that.
Instead of hunting for them with expensive exploratorywells, drillers know exactly where the gas and oil are now, trapped in huge sandstone formations that extend across entire states.
In a big blow for Royal Dutch Shell, the Obama administration has blocked the drilling of exploratorywells in the Arctic Ocean off the North Slope of Alaska until 2011 at the earliest.
On May 27, the Obama Administration announced a six-month moratorium on approving any new permits for deepwater drilling and further halted drilling at 33 exploratorywells along the Gulf coast during that same time.
In this process, applications for re-permitting of exploratory deepwater wells will be examined and reviewed, and permits issued based on their ability to meet the requirements of a worst-case scenario.